Seminole Pumpkin – Diverse Shape Population

Seminole pumpkin is an heirloom strain of Cucurbita moschata that Spaniard colonists encountered native peoples of Florida growing when they entered the region, making this a pre-Colombian crop. However, the true origins of C. moschata (the butternut squash group) lie in Central America. The native Florida people acquired this pumpkin through trade with other groups and adapted it into a regionally important food crop. Due to this long history of cultivation in Florida, it is well adapted to tolerating the peculiar challenges of growing in our region.

This pumpkin came to us under the name Seminole pumpkin, in reality it is a little challenging what really is a proper Seminole pumpkin and what isn’t. Pumpkins cross openly and many forms of C. moschata have been grown in Florida, opening up Seminole pumpkins to slowly mix with other strains to form new hybrids. Crossing with other types may well have begun hundreds of years ago as colonization took hold throughout Florida and settlers introduced new crops.

Whatever this pumpkin is, it performs well for us and produces good quality eating pumpkins. This population shows some genetic diversity showing variation and variation in foliage, fruit shape and size. All fruit have been good tasting, thick walled and have good shelf life. Fruit set is good compared to some types of C. moschata which don’t hold much fruit to maturity under our conditions for some reason. Vines are rampant and sprawling.

12 seeds

Cucurbita moschata